The worst kept secret in New York became official yesterday when coach Rex Ryan named rookie Geno Smith the starting quarterback for tomorrow’s game with the Giants.

Now, can Smith deliver a knockout punch to Mark Sanchez in the competition to be the regular-season starter?

“I’m not going to put any parameters on what this player needs to show or anything else,” Ryan said. “Obviously, It’s an evaluation process we’re going through. I’m not going to say he has to look like Phil Simms in the Super Bowl. That wasn’t a bad day, though.”

The Jets will not even commit to naming the starter after tomorrow’s game, saying the quarterback competition could extend into the fourth preseason game against the Eagles on Thursday when starters usually rest. That scenario seems highly unlikely, though, because you’d have to either play the starting offensive line or put the quarterbacks behind the backups.

Jets coaches were careful not to put any timetable on the decision. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he wished the competition had not needed to go this long, but Smith’s sprained ankle in the first preseason game complicated things.

“This is going to be a decision that is going to be made, like any other position, when one of the players elevates himself,” Mornhinweg said.

From the sound of it, Sanchez is the golfer who has finished his round and is waiting in the clubhouse to see if he has won. Smith still has a few holes to play because he has only taken 14 snaps in the preseason games after suffering the injury against the Lions and missing the Jaguars game.

“We did say all along that it was going to be an equal competition,” Ryan said. “I think obviously the fact that Geno wasn’t able to play this past week, you never really saw him when there was live bullets so to speak. I don’t think it would be an equal competition if we had not played it out this way.”

There is some belief around the Jets that general manager John Idzik and owner Woody Johnson want Smith to start the season, while the coaching staff is leaning toward Sanchez.

Sanchez has played well during training camp and the preseason, but had an interception in each game plus he messed up the end of the first half against the Jaguars. Smith started training camp off on a hot streak, then cooled off and bottomed out last week when he was asked to play through the sprained ankle in practice. He has rebounded this week with better practices.

Quarterbacks coach David Lee acknowledged he goes back and forth, thinking Sanchez is ahead one day and then Smith another.

“They kind of go back and forth at practice,” Lee said. “You come off the field and you’re frowning at one and you’re “attaboy” the other one. I’m being honest. It’s been an emotional up and down deal. Who’s the best one today? Maybe that’s our guy. We can do this with him. This other one we can do this with. We can do more with this guy in the passing game. That’s an honest answer.”

Lee said they are “not near ready” to name a quarterback. He left the door open for this to go into next week.

“We’ve got to keep going,” Lee said. “We’ve got to keep letting them compete. Let’s go to the Philly game. There’s no hurry. There is to y’all, obviously, but there is not to us.”

The Jets did not say how the playing time will be divided tomorrow, but it is clear this is going to be Smith’s game to show them whether he can handle the starting job.

“I think I know exactly where Mark is at,” Mornhinweg said. “There’s no question that I think we can do some very good things with Mark. I don’t know where Geno is at yet, even though we might think we know. Those preseason games are such a good evaluation period for a young man.”